Monday, April 09, 2007

forced multiculturalism is an afront to the human condition. "white privledge" seems to be thrown around a lot without any true evidence to suggest that it exists. anecdotes are not evidence. support for reparations is almost completley an emotional argument and we all know how that is a logical fallacy. slavery is consistantly used as an excuse, even long after its effects were tangible. if you want to keep playing the race card and continue down a path that does nothing to repair the past then keep pushing a devisive issue like reparations. if you want to actually do something for the "black community" attempt to change the culture that places no value on education, hard work, or personal responsibility.

before you get your panties in a bunch about the last statment realize that its not geared towards the entire black community, just most of it. as long as race baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can continue to have greater influence over the community then Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Condolezza Rice and a whole host of others who don't portray themselves as victims, the black community will continue to slip downward and demand false entitlement when they should be far more critical of their own culture and put some emphasis on the things that will actually change their lot in life.

11:26 PM

Anonymous said...

I would be interested in hearing your response to this...thank you

11:47 PM

My Response.

Firstly I would like to thank you for coming by and letting me know what you think about the post, I appreciate it. Though it would have been nice to know who this is or where you are (lol).

Secondly no one ever said multiculturalism (UK) worked fully as it is evident with the 7/7 bombings, but I think we can agree that it is definitely better than assimilation i.e. France. With regards to 'white privilege' I would say the state of affairs of the economic and political climate in the world over the past 300 years has largely been dictated by the military might and subjugation of non western countries by mainly European (white) nations. I do believe there is no reason for me to give examples considering that today we still have this western superiority complex evident in Iraq, as was evident in colonial Africa, South-East Asia, the Caribbean and even Pre-Independence America. The only evidence that needs to be provided regarding your stated 'white privilege' is the economic might (quotas, CAP, IMF etc) the west wields as a result of their conquests both legitimate and mainly illegitimate over the years. Some might say it is the survival of the fittest others might say it is blatant opportunism; I would leave you to make your own inferences. Regarding reparations which I personally have not asked for but understand the notion behind it, let me ask you whether it would be an excellent idea to pay the current Iranian government reparations or compensation for 'hosting' the 15 British naval officers for over two weeks or would you say the army is right in allowing them to make monetary gains by selling the stories of their plight to the tabloids. I guess your answer would be an equivocal no because the troops were ‘captured’ and ‘maltreated’.

Following from this question it sound disgraceful and insulting that slave owners were paid 20 million pounds at the time of the abolition of the slave trade. Money helps but in my books the conditions that maintain the neo-colonial economic and societal frameworks that prompted slavery and colonialism need to be removed to enable true self determination of African people on the continent and in the Diaspora. Were not reparations to Holocaust victims partially based on emotional considerations and have the British naval officers not been given the unusual privilege of selling their stories as a form of emotional compensation through vast monetary gains?I have not used slavery as an excuse for anything but an explanation from many things. The effect of slavery are truly with us and will be for a long time, are the effects of the holocaust, the World Wars, and the Cold War not with us today? Also I have not played the so called race card with regards to this blog or to attain or justify any thing I have ever done or achieved in my life. To me that is a creation of people who to not want to be confronted with difficult truths or lies. Man should be judged on their actions and not reactions to their skin colour.

The past should be resolved through dialogue, forgiveness and acceptance of forgiveness which should lead to tangible change for all parties. I am very happy that you have talked about the culture of the ‘Black Community’ is there really a Black Community (UK) that has a distinctive uniform culture? I think the answer is no. Is there an African Culture? I think the answer is Yes! The African culture of which I am a proud product of definitely places absolute importance on the value of education, hard work, or personal and group (extended family and tribal responsibility). It is ironic that you speak of responsibility for actions when Tony Blair and the Queen cannot even accept responsibility for (GB) on behalf of nations in the form of an apology for the role of this nation in Slavery when African nations have done so an initiated programmes such as the Joseph project (Ghana) to correct these wrongs.

Since you have so much insight on the character of the Black Community in which most of them have been stereotyped by your characterisation, I would like to point out that it takes a village to raise a child and therefore ‘Black Leaders’ appointed by black people as true representatives or self made Black people who have ‘made it’ cannot have total influence on Black people as a result of the slave trade which has scattered us on so many cultures effectively destroying our culture and enforcing an alien culture and environment on us. Therefore is the current Black culture you mentioned truly representative of Black people in the Diaspora or is it just the remnants ofwhat could be salvaged from slavery and what is being mimicked form their new ‘homes’?

The Black community has flaws and problems just like any other community and yes we are working on them, not through begging or reparations but through confronting the realities of this world.

May God Bless You.

P.S your post did not have much to do with my video blog but rather inferences on issues such as reparations which require a more intensive forum to discuss through face to face dialogue.